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Brought to you by Boats.com Europe, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to
Wind Kicks Up On Opening Day
Turns out the breeze was much stronger and more stable than expected and organizers with Premiere Racing were able to conduct two good races for all three divisions, getting the 26th annual regatta off to a strong start. Steve Benjamin said single digit winds did not favor his Carkeek 40 in the High Performance Class. However, the Connecticut-based North Sails professional did just fine in those moderate conditions on Monday, winning both races over fellow Carkeek 40 Decision (Stephen Murray, New Orleans). California skipper John Demourkas and his crew aboard Groovederci lead the Farr 40 class after posting a pair of seconds on opening day. Barking Mad (Jim Richardson, Newport, R.I.) and Struntje Light (Wolfgang Schaefer, Lueneburg, German) were the day's winners, but Groovederci, with Cameron Appleton calling tactics, showed the most consistency. Skipper Philip Williamson (Fort Worth, Texas) got Hoss off to a strong start in Swan 42 class, placing third in Race 1 then winning Race 2 to build a three-point lead over Vitesse (Jon Halbert, Dallas, Texas) and Stark Raving Mad VI (James Madden, Fort Lauderdale). J/70 is the largest class at Quantum Key West 2013 with 39 boats and California professional Dave Ullman is the early leader after placing second in both races. Greg Koski and Tom Lihan are crewing for Ullman, who said owner Joseph Colling (Bath, Ohio) is out for the week after injuring ribs during a practice session. * Fierce Melges 32 Competition The eleven-strong Melges 32 fleet participating at Premiere Racing's 2013 Quantum Key West Race Week enjoyed two races on day one of the five-day series placing Italy's Lanfranco Cirillo helming Fantastica in the overall lead. Cirillo, a former Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series Champion, is tied for points with Roberto Tomasini Grinover's Robertissima 1 in second. The points remain tight at the top with third and fourth occupied by Andrea Pozzi's Bombarda and Japan's Keisuke Suzuki on Swing, also tied with nine points each.
Top Five Results (After Two Races) Full results: www.yachtscoring.com * DeVos steers Quantum Racing to lead 52 Super Series at Key West Quantum Racing, with owner Doug DeVos on the helm, emerge from the first day of the new 52 Super Series season with the overall lead at Quantum Key West 2013 thanks to a well executed victory in the second of two windward-leeward races sailed for the six boat 52 class. They were never passed at any point during the second race, leading from the first windward turn of the five legs contest to the finish, to partner their win to a modest fourth place which they rescued from what had looked earlier like a pretty lacklustre Race 1. Breezes at Quantum Key West 2013 are expected to build for Tuesday and Wednesday. Overall after two races:
1. Quantum Racing, 5 points
Closest Finish In Vendee Globe History Possible
The low-pressure system, bringing 25-30 knots westerlies, looks stable from the Bay of Biscay to the finish, but Gabart may well decide to stay close and mark Le Cleac'h rather than simply take the fastest route. It promises to be a tense finish either way and if they or Le Cleach, particularly, is delayed until the evening of January 27, a storm could make the finish one of the most torrid ever. Behind them Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) told Vendee Globe TV that he cannot see how he can catch third-placed Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) or how Dick can catch the front two. "No one is going to give up hope until the end," Thomson said. "But as I look at the weather ahead as I'm sure he (Dick) does, both of us are going to need extraordinary events to be able to catch this significant number of miles up. I don't really see any big opportunities ahead for me to catch Jean-Pierre and I don't see any big opportunities for him to catch the two in front, so I think we're looking for something extraordinary. There's always hope, you don't know what's going to happen in the Vendee Globe. I'll just try my hardest, sail my best and see what happens. My motivation is to get the boat round in under 80 days. * After climbing his mast yesterday evening, Alessandro Di Benedetto keeps having bad luck. Following the nose-dive by his boat, the sailor was injured and lost his small spinnaker in the manoeuvre. Appraisal: a small cut at the base of the left nostril which I treated with some sterile strip and a broken rib, according to advice from Dr. Chauve (the Vendee Globe Doctor). Unfortunately, I lost another sail (the small spinnaker) as it was outside in a bag and was swept away when the boat lay down. It will be difficult to manoeuvre now with this pain. Rankings as of Monday 21 January 2013, 20h00 (FR)
1. MACIF, Francois Gabart, 1786.1 nm to finish
Breaking News... Virbac-Paprec 3 Loses Its Keel
"I was sailing on starboard tack with mainsail with one reef and the Solent in 20 knots of wind. I was inside when the wind increased suddenly. I went out to adjust the sails. At that moment, I heard a loud bang. Virbac-Paprec 3 went to the luff and was pushed on its side. I eased the mainsail sheet and solent sheet then. I furled it. I went to the end of the boom to eased the running backstay. I went downwind smoothly and the boat slowly went back in the right position. I filled all the ballasts to stabilize the boat. I am heading to the Azores to 8 knots with two reefs in the mainsail and staysail. The situation is stabilized and I think that there is no risk of capsizing. My dream of a podium in the Vendee Globe has suddenly sunk. '
Jorg Riechers and Sebastien Audigane Team for Barcelona World Race
The second boat to sign up for the Barcelona World Race 2014/15 made the formal announcement to confirm their entry at a press conference at Dusseldorf's Boot 2013 sailing and watersports show. German sailor Jorg Riechers and Nikolaus Gelpke, Director of the Mare-Verlag publishing house sponsoring the team, unveiled their project to leading journalists attending Europe's most important sailing show. Riechers, who took victory in last year's Solidaire du Chocolat alongside Marc Lepesqueux, will have Frenchman Sebastien Audigane as co-skipper for the round the world race. Audigane took part in the last Barcelona World Race with Kito de Pavant on Groupe Bel. The double-handed crew will be sailing the current IMOCA 60 Maître CoQ. Nikolaus Gelpke, Director of the Mare-Verlag publishing house, said: "This is our third and most important project of the Mare Racing Team. We have great enthusiasm in this offshore sailing team that will compete at the forefront. Jorg has a great resume in the Mini Class and Class 40 and we will give him the proper continuity in the IMOCA class". Andor Serra, Managing Director of the FNOB, underlined the importance of having the Mare Racing Team on board for the Barcelona World Race: "It is very important and very positive indeed that a skipper of the calibre of Jorg Riechers and a sponsor such as Mare-Verlag, who are so deeply involved in the development of ocean sailing in Germany, have chosen the Barcelona World Race and have chosen to share the regatta's objectives, to adapt to the current economic climate. The aim of the team now is to begin preparing the new boat as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Jorg Riechers will be taking part in numerous 40 Class and Mini Class races during 2013 and will be taking on the Route du Rhum in the 40 Class in 2014. www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/
America's Cup: Designer Mike Drummond Looks at Foiling and Pitchpoling
While foiling does look spectacular, Drummond points out that it comes at a cost. 'There is a lot of induced drag from the winglet. You have wave drag from your foil, instead of a 72ft long hull going through the water, there is a one metre foil going through the water. These things do trade off against each other, and foiling is not free. Downwind, especially in strong breeze, foiling will be essential. 'Originally I didn't expect full foiling to be fast because it also has the risk of instability, but it seems Emirates Team NZ look quite stable and their published speeds are fast.' 'The key thing is to balance your side force and vertical force. The maximum vertical force is the weight of your boat, and the side force is whatever your sails are producing. Once you are flying a hull your righting moment is constant so your maximum side force is constant. 'These guys are doing stuff that hasn't been done before', he observes. 'People are quick to criticize and say that higher is better, or lower is better, but no-one really knows yet. And that is what they are finding out now. 'My guess is that Emirates Team NZ were designed to fully foil with their board further aft. Oracle have aggressive foils, but further forward. I don't fully understand the tradeoffs, but perhaps this is a nod to the lighter winds expected in September compared with July/August. Oracle might need larger elevators to achieve stable flight whereas my feeling is Emirates Team NZ have optimized more for downwind than upwind than the other teams. They might be counting on getting to the first mark in front and defending a lead. Artemis were launched only as a semi-foiler. They are probably pretty good upwind and light airs downwind. Richard Gladwell's full article in Sail-World.com: www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=105592
RORC Caribbean 600 Photo Contest
title-sponsor-sevenstarEvery Monday until the race start, we are unveiling on Facebook an album of 12 fantastic shots from the RORC Caribbean 600, from which we ask you to pick your favourite. Vote for your favourite photo from this week's contest here and view the RORC Facebook page here for past contest winners, albums and more.
Clipper Race To Stop In Cozumel, Quintana Roo
Cozumel, situated off the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is already a popular stop for cruise liners and will provide the Clipper Race crews with an exotic respite on their 40,000 mile journey around the world. Known for its seaside resorts, scuba diving and snorkelling in the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, nautical and archaeological tourism, Cozumel and the Quintana Roo region are looking to export their brand to the world. The partnership with the Clipper Race has been spearheaded by Governor of Quintana Roo, Roberto Borge Angulo as he looks to grow the reputation of his region as a venue for both tourism and business. Cozumel will be the only Mexican stop on the Clipper 13-14 Race and will be the first time that the race has visited Mexico, with crews arriving on Leg 7 after transiting through the Panama Canal on their way to New York.
Compensation For Rescue Of Yachtsman?
The MV Orion was 11 days into an 18-day Antarctic cruise when it changed course to come to the rescue of the French national, Alain Delord, on Sunday night. Mr Delord sent out a distress call on Friday after abandoning his yacht, forcing the Orion to change course and miss a promised stop on Macquarie Island. Fairfax understands the starting price for the voyage was about $20,000 per person. But Orion Expeditions, the cruise operator, on Monday refused to answer repeated questions about the cost of the rescue and whether it would compensate passengers. Advertisement ''Everybody on board this ship has paid a price for this rescue,'' said Don McIntyre, who led the Orion's expedition to rescue Mr Delord. ''The passengers have had to give up a major part of their expedition.'' Mr McIntyre said while passengers were initially annoyed at missing the Macquarie Island stop, they had not complained or questioned the decision since. ''I'm yet to see anyone that's grumbling,'' he said. ''No one ever questioned the intent or reason why we were going to pick Alain up.'' The government was also refusing to answer questions about the cost of Mr Delord's rescue. Full story: www.brisbanetimes.com.au
Industry News
850 exhibitors are expected in 100,000 sq. metres of exhibition space. 300 boats will be on show afloat, out of the 700 on display in the show. Themed spaces for all visitors. 'The one for real fans', Grand Pavois offers the unique chance of trying the boats at sea before buying. The visitor profile is varied: this show atttracts young people with The Beach (Watersports Village and light sailing) ; lovers of thrills with sport boats ; long-distance sailors with big cruisers, either single- or multiple-hulled ; traditionalists, with their boats from Wood Village ; fishermen with their sea-fishing trips or their semi-rigid inflatables ; adventure-lovers ; people who enjoy coastal cruising in shallow waters; and many others besides. The best feature of the enthusiasts' Atlantic boat show is that Grand Pavois suggests that the boats are tried out at sea. It's a unique trump card for the autumn on-the-water boat show, allowing all the new models and previews presented at the show to be tried out, under almost personalised conditions. Over the years, the boat show has become an essential partner of the Poitou-Charentes region, the Charente-Maritime region, the town of La Rochelle and its District Council. In 2011, almost 25 million euros of spending in the local economy, over just a few days, was generated by the boat show, and from turnover generated in the boatyards. (Independent Study by the La Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and Industry). ----------------------------------------- The Boating Business Awards were presented alongside the Marine Trades Awards at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Docklands on 15 January during the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show. The first presentation, of the Boating Business boats.com Website Award, went to Yachtmail, with James Powell and website designer Owen Fletcher collecting the award. Next up was the MTA Retailer of the Year award, presented by Charlie Mill and Chris Murdoch to Andrew Nunn of Seamark Nunn in Ipswich. The BB Environment Award went to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), but with CEO John Tweed taken ill, the trophy was collected by Mike Scott of main WPNSA sponsor Charles Russell. The MTA Chairman's Special Award was presented to Grant Hooper of Princess Yachts. The BB Scott Deverell Young Businessperson of the Year Award was introduced by BMF CEO Howard Pridding and BB media sales executive Sandra McKenzie presented the award to Philip Marsh, MD of Chatham. The MTA Personality of the Year award went to David Barrow of Barrow International. The BB Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Rob Scott of Southern Cross Yachts. The final award of the evening was the BB Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented by Peter Nash to Peter Methven OBE. ----------------------------------------- The results from the Royal Southern Yacht Club's Dayboat Seminar held last September, combined with other surveys and research undertaken by the RORC Rating Office and the SB20 Class, confirm that boat owners and their crews are suffering not just from a shortage of money but also a lack of time to go racing. The Royal Southern is introducing a series of measures designed to get more boats on the water and provide owners with more sailing opportunities, which adds up to more value. As the Club's Rear Commodore Sailing, Karen Henderson-Williams affirms, "Racing has to offer better value and recognise that sailors have families too. Sailors are also starting to tire of the ubiquitous windward/leeward courses and are looking for more variety." The Royal Southern's monthly regatta fees have been frozen, new 'early bird' discounts have been introduced and some berthing fees have been reduced. The Club is introducing new short course racing that will start and finish at the end of the River Hamble. These races will take place on Friday evenings and as a trial, Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, from early May. Races will be free to members and just £10 to non-Members. Once the Sailing Committee has analysed the entries, they will plan more of the same to encourage people to just turn up and go sailing. -- Peta Stuart-Hunt
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Complete listing details and seller contact information at
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